I will confess to being a little leery about this. I usually hate when someone tries to pin one down and stick a label on you. That seems to defy all the reasons for seeking personal style. Although in reality the Coastal Grandmother aesthetic celebrates preppy and requires money to pull off, it's also a lovely tribute to the power and beauty of women growing older. I'll take it. We've still got it, and now you want it too.
Diane Keaton and her many appearances in Nancy Meyers' films make her literally the poster child for Coastal Grandmother. She personifies the woman of a certain age who is put together (but not too tightly). She's accomplished, yet her accomplishments must be in the past because she has a lot of time for reading, gardening, cooking and reflecting. There may be romance but it's not a raison d'etre. NB in her personal life Keaton's style is far more quirky and harder to achieve.
 |
| Blythe |
 |
| Meryl |
 |
| Oprah |
 |
| Martha |
 |
Sarah (center)
|
The list is long. Think Blythe Danner in "I'll See You in my Dreams", Meryl Streep in "It's Complicated", Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart as Oprah and Martha. Sarah Baumler of HGTV's "Renovation Island" is Coastal Grandmother-in-training. Terrence Stamp as Bernadette in 1994's "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" may have been Coastal Grandmother #1.
 |
Bernadette (but w/o the black bag)
|
CG's decorating style is as livable as her wardrobe—natural fibers and a bleached, beachy color palette. I bet her candles are unscented. Nature makes its way inside. She has a garden bountiful enough to harvest, plus she knows her way to a good farmer's market. She has visitors but no one just drops in, thus she can entertain with aplomb. She reads voraciously and is always listening to an eclectic playlist.
Pulling off Coastal Grandmother may be a little harder if you do not possess the freedom of a retiree with a good 401k, but I love love love that it celebrates a stage of life to be embraced. Emulate away, ladies! I know I will, though I will add "Bohemian" in front of Coastal and my coast would be a rocky one in the south of Italy, if I had my way.
 |
Credit: Life on Virginia Street
|
